A new low-power data acquisition module based on NB-IOT

Abstract

The present invention discloses a new type of low-power data acquisition module based on NB-IoT, including a shell, a lithium battery fixedly connected to the left side of the inner cavity of the shell, a main control board fixedly connected to the top of the right side of the shell, a radio frequency ID identifier fixedly connected to the inner cavity of the shell and located below the main control board, and an induction coil fixedly connected to the inner cavity of the shell and located below the radio frequency ID identifier. Ultra-low power consumption can be achieved by using the shell, lithium battery, main control board, radio frequency ID identifier, induction coil, device interface and antenna interface in coordination, and the lithium battery can work for more than 3 years without external power supply, and the lithium battery pack can directly power 12-24V devices such as connected sensors through a boost module, and innovative power saving technology and sleep mode, power management and power warning, can be customized by writing character strings through signal instructions, and data can be sent and received at regular intervals and in fixed quantities.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of data acquisition, and in particular to a low-power novel data acquisition module based on NB-IOT. Background Art

[0002] NB-IOT communication is suitable for collection systems with small message volume and low collection frequency. It has stronger signals, 20dB enhanced coverage, low power consumption design of chip modules, and minimal signaling overhead. In large-scale connections, when there are too many IoT devices, if the existing LOTE network is still used to connect these devices, it will cause network overload and signal transmission failure. NB-IOT does not have this problem and can support massive device connections. At the same time, in many applications, the power consumption requirements of electronic equipment are very stringent. For example, some sensor information collection equipment and environmental monitoring in wilderness uninhabited areas rely only on small batteries for power supply and are required to work for several years without any maintenance. Therefore, it is particularly important to control power consumption and increase the working time of the system.

[0003] Although the NB-IOT modules on the market already have a low-power mode, the overall power consumption of the modules is only suitable for systems powered by solar energy and cannot be powered by small lithium batteries. In addition, the current NB-IOT module data collection programs are mostly integrated with the entire monitoring system, which is not universal and has narrow applicability. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a new low-power data acquisition module based on NB-IOT, which has the advantage of low power consumption and solves the problem that although the NB-IOT modules on the existing market have a low power consumption mode, the overall power consumption of the module is only suitable for systems powered by solar energy and cannot be powered by small lithium batteries. In addition, most of the current NB-IOT module data acquisition programs are integrated with the entire monitoring system, which is not universal and has narrow applicability.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a new low-power data acquisition module based on NB-IOT, comprising a shell, a lithium battery is fixedly connected to the left side of the inner cavity of the shell, a main control board is fixedly connected to the top of the right side of the shell, a radio frequency ID identifier is fixedly connected to the inner cavity of the shell and below the main control board, an induction coil is fixedly connected to the inner cavity of the shell and below the radio frequency ID identifier, a device interface is fixedly connected to the top of the shell, and an antenna interface is fixedly connected to the top of the right side of the shell.

[0006] Preferably, the length, width and height of the shell are 233mm*184mm*78mm, the shell is divided into two halves, fixed by bolts, and made of waterproof aluminum material.

[0007] Preferably, the lithium battery is 3.6V, and the main control chip of the main control board is a STM32F103RCT6 single-chip microcomputer.

[0008] Preferably, the device interface is divided into two RS485 device interfaces and one RS232 device interface, which are used to connect sensors and other collected objects.

[0009] Preferably, the antenna interface is used to connect an external antenna.

[0010] Preferably, a working principle of a new low-power data acquisition module based on NB-IOT includes the following steps:

[0011] A. Power saving technology:

[0012] ① When the MCU is working in normal mode, turn on the electronic switch to power the peripheral chips: flash chip, EEPROM chip, NB-IOT module, RS485 chip and RS232 chip; turn on the power switch of the device interface to power the connected sensors and other devices. After power supply, the MCU system enters the working state, including the reading and writing operations of the chip, data transmission and reception, and the current is about 80mA;

[0013] ②The MCU enters the low-power STOP mode and shuts off the power supply of the peripheral circuits, that is, shuts off the power supply of all chips except the MCU and the power supply of the device interface. At this time, only the external timer on the board is working. At this time, the current of the entire circuit is less than 10uA, and the power consumption is extremely low;

[0014] ③ For applications that only collect data a few times a day, the collection module works normally and sends data for less than 1 minute a day. The rest of the time it is in low-power mode, and the NB-IOT module is not in the network. Therefore, only a small battery pack is needed to keep the system working for several years.

[0015] B. About power management and power warning:

[0016] ① For high-frequency collection (such as setting data collection once a minute), the collection module does not enter low-power mode, and the NB-IOT module is always online. At this time, the system cannot be maintained for several years. A solar charging system or on-site power supply should be used;

[0017] ② The MCU system calculates the battery power, calculates the remaining power % and the remaining working time according to the battery discharge curve, and organizes it into a JSON format message and pushes it to the server, thereby reminding the device administrator of the system's power status and remaining working time;

[0018] C. Collection module workflow:

[0019] ①After the module is connected to the lithium battery, the STM32F103RCT6 microcontroller starts to initialize the configuration and peripheral chips. When the system is turned on for the first time, the system parameters are the default values ​​of the program and are burned to the external EEPROM chip, and then the normal working mode is entered. When the power is turned on, the microcontroller initialization detects that it is not the first time to start the machine. It first obtains the working parameters from the configured external EEPROM chip, and then enters the normal working mode. Any setting parameters of the acquisition module are stored in the external EEPROM after being modified. This step is an innovative system reset technology and setting parameter design. Even if the reset button is pressed, the device will not cause damage or malfunction during this initialization process, and the system security is higher;

[0020] ② In normal working mode, the MCU processes the byte data from the RS232 / RS485 / NB-IOT communication interface, and interacts with the sensor according to the set communication format. After the data is collected, it is sorted into JSON format and pushed to the NB-IOT module and uploaded to the server. The communication command format that can be set by the collection module is:

[0021] 1) command_format = 1 serial port transparent transmission mode

[0022] 2) command_format=2 standard modbus protocol format

[0023] 3) command_format=3 default JSON format

[0024] The acquisition module can store each communication instruction such as sending setting instructions:

[0025] command_1=01 04 00 00 00 02 71 CB

[0026] And you can set the automatic sending time of the corresponding instructions:

[0027] command_1_time=30, that is, command 1 is sent every 30 seconds, and the acquisition module uploads the received return value to the server through the NB-IOT module, thus completing the data acquisition program;

[0028] ③The MCU queries the external flash chip in normal working mode:

[0029] 1) If there are data groups, upload these data first;

[0030] 2) If data upload fails, the data group will continue to be saved, and subsequent data collection will be added to the end of the data group after adding a time tag;

[0031] 3) If the data is successfully retransmitted, it will be erased;

[0032] ④The single-chip computer turns on the electronic switch that powers the device, and provides 12-24V power to the device interface through the boost module. After completing data collection through the RS232 / RS485 serial port, the data is first stored in the flash chip, and then the data is pushed to the NB-IOT module. After the collection module receives the handshake mark from the server to prove that the data push is successful, the flash storage block where the data is located is erased. If it fails, it is stored in the flash chip, and the software waits for the next operation. This design ensures the continuity of data collection in the system, does not lose data, increases data security and reliability, and prevents data collection loss caused by NB-IOT networking failure when nearby base stations are damaged / repaired, and automatically reissues after the network is restored;

[0033] ⑤ After the acquisition module completes the acquisition task, it waits for 30 seconds by default. If there is no operation within 30 seconds, the system enters low power consumption mode. The waiting time can be set: sleep_time=30, the default value is 30 seconds;

[0034] ⑥ Before the MCU enters the low power mode, first turn off the power supply electronic switch of the peripheral chip, set the wakeup pin, enter the stop mode, and then wait for the external timer to wake up or the coil key to activate the wakeup. The time of the low power mode can be set: wakeup_time=86400, the default value is one day;

[0035] D. Innovative wake-up system design method:

[0036] The acquisition module is equipped with an induction coil and a radio frequency ID identifier. When the technician uses the matching coil key to approach the wake-up area of ​​the waterproof box, the induction coil generates a continuous high level, triggering the PA0 pin to wake up the microcontroller. The first task of the microcontroller after waking up from the stop mode is to obtain the ID tag of the radio frequency ID identifier.

[0037] 1) If the ID tag is consistent with the one registered in the system, the microcontroller continues the initialization task, completes the startup, and the acquisition module enters the normal working mode;

[0038] 2) If the ID tags are inconsistent, it will directly enter sleep mode and continue the stop mode. The acquisition module will continue to maintain low power consumption mode. Therefore, the security and confidentiality of the entire acquisition module are higher, and no false wake-up or false operation will occur.

[0039] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0040] 1. The present invention can achieve ultra-low power consumption through the coordinated use of a shell, a lithium battery, a main control board, a radio frequency ID identifier, an induction coil, a device interface and an antenna interface. The lithium battery can work for more than 3 years without external power supply, and the lithium battery pack can directly power 12-24V devices such as connected sensors through a boost module. In addition, the innovative power-saving technology and sleep mode, power management and power warning can be customized by writing character strings through signal instructions. The data can be sent and received at regular intervals and can also be transparently transmitted. Through the storage chip and data retransmission function, when all nearby base stations are damaged and the network connection fails, the data hardware chip is automatically stored and automatically retransmitted after the network is restored. Through the unique wake-up function at any time, the paired coil key can be used to wake up the entire device by placing the coil key close to the module. Through sleep and signal preprocessing, the data is saved before entering sleep. Through the innovative system reset technology, the device initialization after reset does not cause damage or malfunction, and the system security is higher. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 2 This is a normal mode working diagram of the single chip microcomputer of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a workflow diagram of the acquisition module of the present invention.

[0044] In the figure: 1. Shell; 2. Lithium battery; 3. Main control board; 4. Radio frequency ID identifier; 5. Induction coil; 6. Device interface; 7. Antenna interface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] The components of the present invention are all universal standard components or components known to those skilled in the art, and their structures and principles can be known to those skilled in the art through technical manuals or conventional experimental methods.

[0047] See also Figure 1-3A new type of low-power data acquisition module based on NB-IOT, including a shell 1, the length, width and height of the shell 1 are 233mm*184mm*78mm, the shell 1 is divided into two halves, and is fixed by bolts, and is made of waterproof aluminum material, a lithium battery 2 is fixedly connected to the left side of the inner cavity of the shell 1, a main control board 3 is fixedly connected to the top of the right side of the shell 1, a radio frequency ID identifier 4 is fixedly connected to the inner cavity of the shell 1 and located below the main control board 3, an induction coil 5 is fixedly connected to the inner cavity of the shell 1 and located below the radio frequency ID identifier 4, a device interface 6 is fixedly connected to the top of the shell 1, the device interface 6 is divided into two RS485 device interfaces and one RS232 device interface, which are used to connect to sensors and other collected objects, an antenna interface 7 is fixedly connected to the top of the right side of the shell 1, and the antenna interface 7 is used to connect an external antenna, the present invention is through the shell 1, the lithium battery 2, the main control board 3, the radio frequency ID identifier 4, The coordinated use of the induction coil 5, the device interface 6 and the antenna interface 7 can achieve ultra-low power consumption. The lithium battery 2 can work for more than 3 years without external power supply. The lithium battery pack can directly power the connected sensors and other 12-24V devices through the boost module. In addition, the innovative power-saving technology and sleep mode, power management and power warning can be customized by writing character strings through signal instructions. The data can be sent and received at regular intervals and can also be transmitted transparently. Through the storage chip and data retransmission function, when all nearby base stations are damaged and the network connection fails, the data hardware chip is automatically stored and automatically retransmitted after the network is restored. Through the unique wake-up function at any time, the paired coil key can be used to wake up the entire device by putting the coil key close to the module. Through sleep and signal preprocessing, the data is saved before entering sleep. Through the innovative system reset technology, the device initialization after reset will not cause damage or malfunction, and the system security is higher.

[0048] The working principle of a new low-power data acquisition module based on NB-IOT includes the following steps:

[0049] A. Power saving technology:

[0050] ① When the MCU is working in normal mode, turn on the electronic switch to power the peripheral chips: flash chip, EEPROM chip, NB-IOT module, RS485 chip and RS232 chip; turn on the power switch of the device interface to power the connected sensors and other devices. After power supply, the MCU system enters the working state, including the reading and writing operations of the chip, data transmission and reception, and the current is about 80mA;

[0051] ②The MCU enters the low-power STOP mode and shuts off the power supply of the peripheral circuits, that is, shuts off the power supply of all chips except the MCU and the power supply of the device interface. At this time, only the external timer on the board is working. At this time, the current of the entire circuit is less than 10uA, and the power consumption is extremely low;

[0052] ③ For applications that only collect data a few times a day, the collection module works normally and sends data for less than 1 minute a day. The rest of the time it is in low-power mode, and the NB-IOT module is not in the network. Therefore, only a small battery pack is needed to keep the system working for several years.

[0053] B. About power management and power warning:

[0054] ① For high-frequency collection (such as setting data collection once a minute), the collection module does not enter low-power mode, and the NB-IOT module is always online. At this time, the system cannot be maintained for several years. A solar charging system or on-site power supply should be used;

[0055] ② The MCU system calculates the battery power, calculates the remaining power % and the remaining working time according to the battery discharge curve, and organizes it into a JSON format message and pushes it to the server, thereby reminding the device administrator of the system's power status and remaining working time;

[0056] C. Collection module workflow:

[0057] ①After the module is connected to the lithium battery, the STM32F103RCT6 microcontroller starts to initialize the configuration and peripheral chips. When the system is turned on for the first time, the system parameters are the default values ​​of the program and are burned to the external EEPROM chip, and then the normal working mode is entered. When the power is turned on, the microcontroller initialization detects that it is not the first time to start the machine. It first obtains the working parameters from the configured external EEPROM chip, and then enters the normal working mode. Any setting parameters of the acquisition module are stored in the external EEPROM after being modified. This step is an innovative system reset technology and setting parameter design. Even if the reset button is pressed, the device will not cause damage or malfunction during this initialization process, and the system security is higher;

[0058] ② In normal working mode, the MCU processes the byte data from the RS232 / RS485 / NB-IOT communication interface, and interacts with the sensor according to the set communication format. After the data is collected, it is sorted into JSON format and pushed to the NB-IOT module and uploaded to the server. The communication command format that can be set by the collection module is:

[0059] 1) command_format = 1 serial port transparent transmission mode

[0060] 2) command_format=2 standard modbus protocol format

[0061] 3) command_format=3 default JSON format

[0062] The acquisition module can store each communication instruction such as sending setting instructions:

[0063] command_1=01 04 00 00 00 02 71 CB

[0064] And you can set the automatic sending time of the corresponding instructions:

[0065] command_1_time=30, that is, command 1 is sent every 30 seconds, and the acquisition module uploads the received return value to the server through the NB-IOT module, thus completing the data acquisition program;

[0066] ③The MCU queries the external flash chip in normal working mode:

[0067] 1) If there are data groups, upload these data first;

[0068] 2) If data upload fails, the data group will continue to be saved, and subsequent data collection will be added to the end of the data group after adding a time tag;

[0069] 3) If the data is successfully retransmitted, it will be erased;

[0070] ④The single-chip computer turns on the electronic switch that powers the device, and provides 12-24V power to the device interface through the boost module. After completing data collection through the RS232 / RS485 serial port, the data is first stored in the flash chip, and then the data is pushed to the NB-IOT module. After the collection module receives the handshake mark from the server to prove that the data push is successful, the flash storage block where the data is located is erased. If it fails, it is stored in the flash chip, and the software waits for the next operation. This design ensures the continuity of data collection in the system, does not lose data, increases data security and reliability, and prevents data collection loss caused by NB-IOT networking failure when nearby base stations are damaged / repaired, and automatically reissues after the network is restored;

[0071] ⑤ After the acquisition module completes the acquisition task, it waits for 30 seconds by default. If there is no operation within 30 seconds, the system enters low power consumption mode. The waiting time can be set: sleep_time=30, the default value is 30 seconds;

[0072] ⑥ Before the MCU enters the low power mode, first turn off the power supply electronic switch of the peripheral chip, set the wakeup pin, enter the stop mode, and then wait for the external timer to wake up or the coil key to activate the wakeup. The time of the low power mode can be set: wakeup_time=86400, the default value is one day;

[0073] D. Innovative wake-up system design method:

[0074] The acquisition module is equipped with an induction coil and a radio frequency ID identifier. When the technician uses the matching coil key to approach the wake-up area of ​​the waterproof box, the induction coil generates a continuous high level, triggering the PA0 pin to wake up the microcontroller. The first task of the microcontroller after waking up from the stop mode is to obtain the ID tag of the radio frequency ID identifier.

[0075] 1) If the ID tag is consistent with the one registered in the system, the microcontroller continues the initialization task, completes the startup, and the acquisition module enters the normal working mode;

[0076] 2) If the ID tags are inconsistent, it will directly enter sleep mode and continue the stop mode. The acquisition module will continue to maintain low power consumption mode. Therefore, the security and confidentiality of the entire acquisition module are higher, and no false wake-up or false operation will occur.

[0077] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A new low-power data acquisition module based on NB-IOT, comprising a housing (1), characterized in that: A lithium battery (2) is fixedly connected to the left side of the inner cavity of the shell (1), a main control board (3) is fixedly connected to the top of the right side of the shell (1), a radio frequency ID identifier (4) is fixedly connected to the inner cavity of the shell (1) and below the main control board (3), an induction coil (5) is fixedly connected to the inner cavity of the shell (1) and below the radio frequency ID identifier (4), a device interface (6) is fixedly connected to the top of the shell (1), and an antenna interface (7) is fixedly connected to the top of the right side of the shell (1); The working principle of a new low-power data acquisition module based on NB-IOT includes the following steps: A. Power saving technology: ① When the MCU is working in normal mode, turn on the electronic switch to power the peripheral chips: flash chip, EEPRoM chip, NB-IOT module, RS485 chip and RS232 chip; turn on the power switch of the device interface to power the connected device. After power supply, the MCU system enters the working state, including the reading and writing operations of the chip, data transmission and reception, and the current is 80mA; ②The MCU enters the low-power SToP mode and shuts off the power supply of the peripheral circuits, that is, shuts off the power supply of all chips except the MCU and the power supply of the device interface. At this time, only the external timer on the board is working. At this time, the current of the entire circuit is less than 10uA, and the power consumption is extremely low; ③ For applications that only collect data a few times a day, the collection module works normally and sends data for less than 1 minute a day. The rest of the time it is in low-power mode, and the NB-IOT module is not in the network. Therefore, only a small battery pack is needed to keep the system working for several years. B. About power management and power warning: ① For high-frequency acquisition, the acquisition module does not enter low-power mode, and the NB-IOT module is always online. At this time, the system cannot be maintained for several years. A solar charging system or on-site power supply should be used; ② The MCU system calculates the battery power, calculates the remaining power % and the remaining working time according to the battery discharge curve, and organizes it into a JSoN format message and pushes it to the server, thereby reminding the device administrator of the system's power status and remaining working time; C. Collection module workflow: ①After the module is connected to the lithium battery, the STM32F103RCT6 microcontroller starts to initialize the configuration and peripheral chips. When the system is turned on for the first time, the system parameters are the default values ​​of the program and are burned to the external EEPRoM chip, and then the normal working mode is entered. When the power is turned on, the microcontroller initialization detects that it is not the first time to start the machine. It first obtains the working parameters from the configured external EEPRoM chip, and then enters the normal working mode. Any setting parameters of the acquisition module are stored in the external EEPRoM after being modified. This step is an innovative system reset technology and setting parameter design. Even if the reset button is pressed, the device will not cause damage or malfunction during this initialization process, and the system security is higher; ② In normal working mode, the MCU processes the byte data from the RS232 / RS485 / NB-IOT communication interface, and interacts with the sensor according to the set communication format. After the data is collected, it is sorted into JSoN format and pushed to the NB-IOT module and uploaded to the server. The communication instruction format set by the collection module is: 1) command_format = 1 serial port transparent transmission mode 2) command_format=2 standard modbus protocol format 3) command_format=3 default JSoN format The acquisition module stores each communication instruction, among which the instruction for sending settings is: command_1=01 04 00 00 00 02 71 CB And set the automatic sending time of the corresponding instructions: command_1_time=30, that is, command 1 is sent every 30 seconds, and the acquisition module uploads the received return value to the server through the NB-IOT module, thus completing the data acquisition program; ③The MCU queries the external flash chip in normal working mode: 1) If there are data groups, upload these data first; 2) If data upload fails, the data group will continue to be saved, and subsequent data collection will be added to the end of the data group after adding a time tag; 3) If the data is successfully retransmitted, it will be erased; ④The single-chip computer turns on the electronic switch that powers the device, and provides 12-24V power to the device interface through the boost module. After completing data collection through the RS232 / RS485 serial port, the data is first stored in the flash chip, and then the data is pushed to the NB-IOT module. After the collection module receives the handshake mark from the server to prove that the data push is successful, the flash storage block where the data is located is erased. If it fails, it is stored in the flash chip, and the software waits for the next operation. This design ensures the continuity of data collection in the system, does not lose data, increases data security and reliability, and prevents data collection loss caused by NB-IOT networking failure when nearby base stations are damaged / repaired, and automatically reissues after the network is restored; ⑤ After the acquisition module completes the acquisition task, it waits for 30 seconds by default. If there is no operation within 30 seconds, the system enters low power consumption mode. The waiting time setting is: sleep_time=30, and the default value is 30 seconds. ⑥ Before the MCU enters the low power mode, first turn off the power supply electronic switch of the peripheral chip, set the wakeup pin, enter the stop mode, and then wait for the external timer to wake up or the coil key to activate the wakeup. The time setting of the low power mode: wakeup_time=86400, the default value is one day; D. Innovative wake-up system design method: The acquisition module is equipped with an induction coil and a radio frequency ID identifier. When the technician uses the matching coil key to approach the wake-up area of ​​the waterproof box, the induction coil generates a continuous high level, triggering the PA0 pin to wake up the microcontroller. The first task of the microcontroller after waking up from the stop mode is to obtain the ID tag of the radio frequency ID identifier. 1) If the ID tag is consistent with the one registered in the system, the microcontroller continues the initialization task, completes the startup, and the acquisition module enters the normal working mode; If the ID tags are inconsistent, it will directly enter sleep mode and continue the stop mode. The acquisition module will continue to maintain low power consumption mode. Therefore, the security and confidentiality of the entire acquisition module are higher, and no false wake-up or false operation will occur.

2. According to claim 1, a new low-power consumption data acquisition module based on NB-IOT is characterized in that: The length, width and height of the outer shell (1) are 233 mm*184 mm*78 mm. The outer shell (1) is divided into two halves and fixed by bolts, and is made of waterproof aluminum material.

3. According to claim 1, a new low-power consumption data acquisition module based on NB-IOT is characterized in that: The voltage of the lithium battery (2) is 3.6V, and the main control chip of the main control board (3) is a STM32F103RCT6 single-chip microcomputer.

4. According to claim 1, a new low-power consumption data acquisition module based on NB-IOT is characterized in that: The device interface (6) is divided into two RS485 device interfaces and one RS232 device interface, which are used to connect to the collected object.

5. According to claim 1, a new low-power consumption data acquisition module based on NB-IOT is characterized in that: The antenna interface (7) is used to connect an external antenna.

Images